Insulin prices are soaring and consumers stuck paying the bill

The estimated 6 million Americans with diabetes and whose lives depend upon injectable insulin have been hit with skyrocketing costs. Prices of top-selling insulins have more than doubled since 2011, according to The Wall Street Journal.

This has real impact for people like Kendra Neumiller, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 20. She is not only challenged to manage the disease, but she also must also manage rising costs.

“Over the last several years, I’ve seen a price increase in my insulin about every 3-4 months, even though this variety of insulin has now been in production for over 20 years,” says Neumiller, who lives in the Puget Sound area in Washington State and shared her story with Voices for Affordable Health.

Even though she has health insurance, Neumiller says her out-of-pocket insulin costs have soared from $175 to $465 a month, a 265 percent increase.

Neumiller says she’s “tried all of the things you hear about to reduce costs” and still finds she is struggling with unsustainable increases.

How have you been affected by rising pharmaceutical costs? What tips do you have for consumers facing the same situation? Share your story here.